Minority influence is delayed but persists and spreads to unaddressed beliefs

Evidence

Peripheral changes of attitudes brought about by majority pressure are temporally unstable, susceptible to counterpressure, and unlikely to impel behavior (Crano & Prislin, 2008; Moscovici, 1985; Petty & Krosnick, 1995). Minority influence, on the other hand, typically is delayed, but once it occurs, it is more likely to persist in the face of counterpressures and to guide future actions (Wood, Lundgren, Ouellette, Busceme, & Blackstone, 1994). An intriguing feature of minority influence is its capacity to induce immediate change on beliefs or attitudes that are related, but not identical, to the target of the minority’s persuasive appeal; that is, beliefs never even addressed in the persuasive message appear susceptible to change pressure when addressed by a minority source. This indirect influence effect is a novel and reasonably consistent outcome of minority-sourced persuasive communications (Crano, 2010a, 2010b; Wood et al., 1994). — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 1418 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Radical minority opinion can become mainstream party doctrine over time — Angus Burgin, The Great Persuasion: Reinventing Free…, 520; Unorthodox minority ideas depend on wealthy iconoclasts for funding — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin: The Making…, 1475; Minority ideas inside a group can shape members’ thoughts even when uncommon — Leonard S. Newman and Ralph Erber (eds.), Understanding Genocide: The Social…, 900 (+3 more)

Broader Connections

• Minority-sourced persuasion produces lasting change and spillover to unaddressed beliefs, unlike majority pressure. #corroborates (0.96) — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 1418